Customer Experience Variations

Customers enrolled in the Behavioral Demand Response cloud service may be split into different groups that receive different user experiences. For example, Group A would receive one version of an email, while Group B would receive a slightly different version with different graphics and messaging. Oracle Utilities works with utilities to determine which customers receive which experience through which channel.

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Neighbor Comparison Experience

The Neighbor Comparison experience uses a neighbor comparison graphic and messaging to motivate energy efficient behavior. For emails, the neighbor comparison compares the customer's energy use to that of two groups, Efficient Neighbors and All Neighbors, and then displays the results in a horizontal bar graph. The goal is to persuade customers to improve their energy efficient status in relation to their neighbors. Below the graphic is a list of actionable tips that customers can perform to save energy.

  • Eligibility: Gas customers can receive the Neighbor Comparison experience.
  • Example: The image below shows an example of a pre-event email sent to customers who receive the neighbor comparison experience during the summer. You can also send this email to customers who receive the neighbor comparison experience during the winter with peak day definition and tips related to the winter season.

    Example image of neighbor comparison pre-event email

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Neighbor Rank Experience

The Neighbor Rank experience compares a customer's energy use to that of approximately 100 neighbors with similar homes, and then displays the customer’s numerical rank out of those neighbors. The goal is to persuade customers to improve their ranking and show them their energy trends over time. The content of the Neighbor Rank experience varies depending on if at least one peak event has already occurred.

  • Eligibility: Only electricity customers can receive the Neighbor Rank experience.
  • Example: The image below shows an example of a pre-event email sent to customers who receive the Neighbor Rank experience during the summer. You can also send this email to customers who receive the neighbor rank experience during the winter with peak day definition and tips related to the winter season.

    Example image of neighbor rank pre-event email

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Non-AMI Experience

Gas and electric customers who do not have Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) data can be placed on a track to receive a non-AMI variation. In these cases, pre-event and post-event emails use static content to invite customers to participate in a peak event. However, due to the absence of AMI data, the non-AMI experience does not include a neighbor rank or neighbor comparison.

  • Eligibility: Gas, electric, and dual fuel customers can receive the non-AMI experience.
  • Example: The following image is an example of a pre-event email sent to gas customers who receive the non-AMI track experience:

    Example image of non-ami pre-event email sent to gas customers

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Other Variations

  • Similar Homes: Customers have a different experience if "similar homes" language is used instead of "neighbor comparison." In this case, all instances of "neighbor" are replaced with "similar homes."
  • Multi-Day Peak Event: Customers have different experience if a multi-day peak event is scheduled. A multi-day peak event is when multiple peak days are scheduled over consecutive days. When this happens, pre-event messages include information about the consecutive days' peak days. For example, pre-event emails and phone calls will specify the event window for the event occurring today and the event occurring tomorrow. Post-event results are communicated as soon as your energy savings from the event has been calculated, but you will not receive more than one phone call per day. If you are receiving email communications, you will receive an email as soon as your results are available and may receive more than one email per day.

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